MIC pips MyPPP to another seat, names Buntong candidate

By Admin | Published on : Apr 24, 2018 06:41 pm

KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 — MIC has pipped People's Progressive Party (MyPPP) to another seat that both Barisan Nasional parties were eyeing, as it announced its candidate for the Buntong state seat in Perak.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam today announced MIC Perak deputy women chief T. Thangarani as the candidate for the seat — which was also being sought by MyPPP Perak vice chief Datuk Naran Singh.

The announcement comes less than a week after MIC was given the green light to field its youth chief Datuk Sivaraajh Chandran for the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat despite MyPPP chief Tan Sri M Kayveas eyeing the seat.

The decision by the BN leadership had caused Kayveas to threaten to leave the coalition with his party.

Buntong, which was previously held by MCA, was contested by MIC for the first time in the 13th general election, but Sivaraajh, who contested there, lost by a majority of more than 8,000 votes to DAP’s A. Sivasubramaniam, who is expected to defend the seat this election.

Thangarani, 55, will contest one of the few Indian majority seats in the country.

13,800 of Buntong’s 27,000 voters are Indians.

Subramaniam said MIC does not have a problem with seats being given to MyPPP if BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak thought the seats could be won.

“If PM has given seats that are winnable to them we would have supported it. Cameron is our seat, we felt that it should be ours and Buntong, we contested it last time and it should be ours too,” he said.

Subramaniam also said that he did not know the extent of unhappiness MyPPP has over the decisions regarding Cameron Highlands and Buntong, as such matters will be communicated directly to Najib.

“We don’t negotiate directly with another BN component. The decision is made by the BN leadership,” he said.